“Take him away,” said the teacher, and turned his back on the wild man.
“Dave, I think the wild man speaks the truth!” whispered Phil to our hero. 273
“Possibly, Phil. I think the matter will bear investigation.”
“And if old Haskers saw the thing done, why didn’t he tell about it. Do you think that letter—”
“It struck me that such might be the truth, Phil. But don’t say anything until you are sure.”
“He was down on us—ever since we mentioned that affair with the Widow Breen,” went on the shipowner’s son.
“I’d like to see that letter Jason Sparr got—saying we were guilty,” returned our hero. “Maybe Doctor Clay can get hold of it.”
All the way to Oakdale the boys spoke of the case in whispers. Phil was quite sure Job Haskers had seen Wilbur Poole blow up the hotel and equally sure that the dictatorial teacher had written the letter to the hotel-keeper stating he, Dave, and their chums were guilty.
“He thought we’d be locked up, or at least that we’d be sent away from the school and he would be rid of us,” said Phil. “He is growing afraid of us! Oh, if we can prove that he did it, I’ll make it hot for him!”
“If he did such a thing as that, he ought to be discharged from Oak Hall,” was Ben’s comment.